To Have It Made In Shade Transplant Big Trees Now

January 18, 1986|By Tom MacCubbin, Special to The Sentinel

Gardeners who can't take the heat better plan for next summer's shade while the weather's cool. Winter is an excellent time to plant a tree just when the top's dormant and the roots are raring to grow.

It's just a small chore to transplant a tree carried home from the garden center, but if you are looking for instant heat relief from a 15- to 20- footer, the job is best left to a professional.

Big trees are now big business, said Walt Gilmore president of J & W Tree Farms of Winter Park. ''It's the newest horticultural industry.'' Last year, 2,541 tree farms were planted in the United States growing 6-inch seedlings into 15-foot specimens now in demand for home and commercial landscapes, he said.

Some areas of the United States are running out of trees. Nearly 1,000 trees were shipped from Gilmore's Gainesville tree farm to freeze-stricken Texas, where local resources are about exhausted.

But even the Orlando area has its need, with more than $720,000 worth of trees brought to town by area nursery owners in the last 90 days, Gilmore said. They are destined for the many local landscape projects nearing completion.

Landscapers once obtained specimen trees from the wild, but this resource is now nearing its end. Such specimen trees are in short supply, and successful transplanting can only be accomplished during the winter months. Big trees are now needed year-round, Gilmore said.

Unsuccessful transplanting from the wild has also given the industry a bad name. There are ''dig and dash boys,'' who will leave town after selling homeowners poorly dug trees that are almost certain to die, he said.

Professionally grown and transplanted trees should have more than a 98 percent chance of survival and be ready to move even in the middle of August, the worst transplant month of the year.

Gilmore and farm manager Tom Chapman have had to pioneer many of the techniques needed to grow and move big trees. The trees have a 4- to 7-inch caliper or diameter measured 6 inches above the ground, and they stand 15 to 30 feet tall. They are larger trees than most landscapers like to move, Gilmore said.

Farm-grown trees are fertilized twice a year and root-pruned to reduce the root ball to a more easily movable size. The trick to a successful transplant is a healthy specimen, whether it's grown in the ground or a container, he said.

Large trees are machine dug, wrapped in burlap and placed in wire baskets. They are then stored 20 to 30 days while being mulched with cypress sawdust and well-watered. During this process, the plant is conditioned to being transplanted, its wounds are healed and new root growth is stimulated. Only cypress sawdust appears to offer these beneficial qualities, Gilmore said.

Not all trees come from the tree farm. Frequently, residents want trees moved from their yards. Requests are taken from people wanting to give a gift tree or to take a tree with them when they move. Winter is the best time to move these trees, but they should be root-pruned first to form the root ball. Tree roots meander in the home landscape, often well beyond the tree's drip line. Gilmore suggests root-pruning both small and large trees to form a root ball at least 60 to 90 days before transplanting.

Plan on creating a 10-inch root ball for each inch of caliper. Outline the root ball, then dig a trench straight down to sever all lateral roots.

Only do half the ball at one time, then return in 30 days to complete the job. Fill the trench each time with a loose soil mix or peat moss. Keep the root ball moist, and 30 to 60 days later, the tree will be ready to move.

Trees moved any distance must be kept moist and protected from the sun. Some moisture loss can be prevented by treating the foliage with Wilt Pruf, an antitranspirant gardeners can purchase at garden centers. The product is sprayed on the foliage before the tree is dug.

Try to keep the trees in their natural upright position or be prepared to protect the trunks from sun scald. Trees that must lay on their sides prior to replanting should be covered, even if just brought home from the garden center.

Tree care in the landscape begins with proper planting. Many gardeners like to improve the fill soil prior to planting. Dig the hole at least a foot deeper and wider than the root ball. Then mix in organic amendments such as peat, compost or muck with a sandy fill soil. Amendments should not exceed one-third of the soil volume.

Just before planting, Gilmore suggests a slow release fertilizer be added to the hole. Products such as Osmocote, Agriform tablets, or Woodace can be incorporated with the existing soil according to product labels, he said.